


Meeting Her

by RPGwrites



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Pre-Relationship, between me2 and me3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:34:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24286696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RPGwrites/pseuds/RPGwrites
Summary: If someone would’ve told James he’ll meet his hero, Commander Cambria Shepard he would’ve laughed. But under bad circumstances he did. Never in a million years did he expect to fall in love with her. Getting to know her is some of his best days of his life, and make the nights seem brighter. But he couldn’t tell her, so instead he ignores his feelings for her.
Relationships: Female Shepard/James Vega
Comments: 10
Kudos: 17





	Meeting Her

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hardcore_like_eezo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hardcore_like_eezo/gifts).



> This is part of my 200 Followers Prompt Giveaway gifted to [ hardcore_like_eezo ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hardcore_like_eezo/pseuds/hardcore_like_eezo). A big shoutout to [ MyrddinDerwydd ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyrddinDerwydd) for betaing. Thank you for all your help! I really appreciate it! Cambria Shepard belongs to [ hardcore_like_eezo ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hardcore_like_eezo/pseuds/hardcore_like_eezo). Thank you for letting me write her.

Never in a million years would he have guessed he’ll have the opportunity to talk to Commander Cambria Shepard even guard her. That’s why when Admiral Anderson offered him a job he was speechless. 

“I’m sorry… you want me to do what now?” he looked at the Admiral as if he spoke in some unknown language that his translator couldn’t pick up. 

“You heard me Lieutenant. What do you say?”

* * *

James took the job. The first day he reported to duty he was nervous. He hadn’t been this nervous in years. He knew all there was to know about her. 

Yet he wasn’t prepared for this. 

When he arrived at the brig the door swooshed opened, as if it knew why he was there. Anderson stepped out. 

“Admiral,” James greeted him with a salute and Anderson returned it. 

“Just in time. Ready to meet Shepard?”

He followed Anderson instead and with each step he took his heart beat faster and faster. Until he saw Shepard and then he thought his heart had stopped. 

Somehow she looked different in person then on the vids, taller even. Her hair was still just as short as he remembered from the vids. Her green eyes sparkled. 

“This is Lieutenant James Vega,” Anderson announced. 

“Commander,” he saluted her. But she never returned it. 

She cocked her head to the side as if he did the strangest thing then looked at Anderson. “So this is the guy, huh?” Shepard’s eyes lingered back on him. “Interesting.”

“Be nice Shepard.” Anderson’s words might’ve sounded like a warning but he knew it wasn’t. “I’ll leave you two alone.”

When they heard the door close Shepard’s full focus was on him, “Nice to meet you Vega. Please make yourself at home.”

* * *

James’ first day wasn’t what he expected but then again he wasn’t sure what he expected. Meeting your role models turned out always differently than one expected. That’s what his one friend always said. 

_ “In your head they’re always a different person. We only see what type of person they are on the vids. But there’s more to people that they show to the Galaxy.” _

James shook his head, ridding himself of a past conversation. 

He opened his door and decided to call takeout for the night. Changing shifts with her other guard went over smoothly. He wasn’t much of a talker. 

He activated his omni-tool searching what vids he could watch for the night before going for his exercise. 

* * *

The next morning when he arrived at the brig Shepard was still in her room. The other guard reported that there were no suspicious activities. And that wasn’t surprising at all to him. 

“Commander,” he saluted her when she came out of her room.

She only arched her eyebrow at the greeting. “Stop saluting and calling me that James. I’m in here for a reason.” She moved to the coffee maker, “Want some?”

“Sure Com-” He stopped himself just as she gave him a weird look. “Shepard.” He tasted the word in his mouth. Somehow it felt strange to call her by her name. 

If it was anybody else he would’ve come up with a nickname for her. But doing that for  _ the  _ Commander Sheppard seemed strange. 

As the day went on Shepard talked a lot. He learned more and more about her. She even mentioned her family. 

As the days turned into weeks they started playing competitive games. James realized Shepard liked a challenge. She always gave it her all. 

And sometimes she was the one that instigated the challenge. 

Sometimes he still called her Commander and it wasn’t a slip of his tongue. But as time went on it became the norm. He believed Shepard deserved the respect and nobody might believe her about the reapers but it was at least something he could do. 

Later he started to see the little things about her. The way her features turned into a frown. The way her lips formed when she smiled. 

“So Vega it’s been some time since you’ve kept an eye on me. What do you think of all of this?” she gestured her hands around the room. 

“All of what?” His mind was lost, his eyes lingering on her lips, mind thinking about something he couldn’t recall at that moment. 

“The reapers,” she clarified, “Do you think I made them up?” He heard a challenge in her tone. As if she suspected she’ll get the same answer from him as the rest. 

James decided on the honest approach. “I don’t know if they’re real. But I don’t think you would make something up like that.”

Her expression changed into a neutral expression, but James recognized it for what it was. Cambria Shepard was surprised. “They should use this time to prepare and not hold a damn trial.There’s time for that later.”

James remembered overhearing the news of the destruction of the Alpha relay. There were so many lives lost. He knew if there was another choice she would’ve picked it. 

“But instead, here we are.”

* * *

Overtime James realized he had feelings for the Commander. It wasn’t one thing. Maybe it was the way his heart pounded loudly in his chest each time he saw her. Or the way he could listen hours upon hours hearing her talk.

It was impossible to say where his feelings appeared but he knew very well when he knew 100% he was in love with Commander Cambria Shepard.

One night he dreamed about her. They were someplace else. Where, he couldn’t precisely say, but it wasn’t in the brig. 

It was a sun setting across a beach. Shepard was happy, she laughed even. He never saw her so happy. Not in the brig. And definitely not in the vids. 

And then she stopped. She looked at him like she hasn’t before. Suddenly they were face-to-face. Their lips met. 

And that’s when James woke up.

It was a dream. He knew. But he could still feel his lips lingering on hers. 

Of course James denied it.  _ I’m not in love with Shepard. I’m not in love with Shepard.  _ He said it over and over in his mind again. Hoping it was the truth. He needed it to be the truth. 

Because he knew a relationship between them would never work. Besides, a woman like her would never fall for a guy like him. 

But he couldn’t deny it for long. And when he got to his apartment that night he closed his eyes. 

_ Crap, I’m in love with Commander Shepard.  _

* * *

James buried his feelings. Maybe one day he’d tell Shepard how he felt, but that wasn’t now. 

“Can you make us some coffee?” Shepard asked. She was reading something from a datapad. A book she got from Anderson. 

“Sure Lola.”

It was a slip of a tongue. He didn’t mean to call her that. He thought about nicknames, of course. He did it for everybody he met. And weeks ago he decided on Lola for her. 

But as distracted as she was from reading her book she heard it. Of course she did. “Lola, huh? Since when do you give people nicknames, James?”

He didn’t know if she realized it was a slip of tongue. If she did she didn’t show any reaction to it. 

“I always do. I just hadn’t found the right nickname for you. Until now.” James was lying through his teeth, but what else could he do? “People need to fit with their names. Most times they don’t.”

Shepard nodded as she considered that. “Why Lola though?”

But James wasn’t ready to reveal that. Not yet anyway. “Maybe one day I’ll tell you.”

Shepard smiled at that, “Well then. I’m looking forward to one day.”


End file.
